Don't conflate all faith traditions

I affirm what Tembi Bergin-Batten said concerning raising children ("How best to raise a child without religion or spirituality," Jan. 23). Certainly a child raised to work and love is well-parented. My quibble lies in language that conflates all faith traditions into words such as religion and spirituality. It also misses a key component to contemporary childrearing.

The word religion at root means rebinding, as in healing persons and reconciling relationships. Key to patching up a person, group, community, or entire society is a sense of transcendence: Something larger is at stake than our differences. This "something" motivates us to "pull ourselves together" as individuals and get out of our narrow selves to "mix it up" with people who may not agree with us on all points.

One way to judge the value of this greater "something" is by the breadth and depth of its vision of rebinding. "Family first" defines community genetically. "Party loyalty" rallies the faithful yet divides the nation. "America first" allows for taxation, yet contributes to xenophobia.

Spirituality as transcendence becomes a context-bound, throw-away term. Yet spirituality also might point to a transcendent "something" that allows diverse people to work together for local and global peace and justice.

Joining a faith tradition may not lead to better parenting. I believe the chief contemporary question of religion and spirituality is this: How do we raise children with sufficient vision to dedicate themselves to personal wholeness, rebinding relationships threatened with fragmentation and peace with justice?

Sam Massey

Iowa City

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Don't conflate all faith traditions

I affirm what Tembi Bergin-Batten said concerning raising children ('How best to raise a child without religion or spirituality,' Jan. 23). Certainly a child raised to work and love is well-parented.